The present application is generally direct to videophones, and, more particularly, to videophones providing improved eye contact between the users.
Despite the possibilities of video conferencing, great distances are still very frequently travelled, mainly in the business world but also in the private sphere, in order to have a more personal contact, this in spite of the increased danger of flying. Video conferencing equipment is generally considered unsatisfactory. Known from for instance the U.S. Pat. No. 5,777,665 is a videophone which can be placed on the desk of an executive and with which a reasonably good eye contact can be obtained with the person who also has such a videophone available. In a number of respects however this known videophone must be improved, for which purpose such a primitive and expensive device must approach perfect quality. Such aspects relate to for instance the positioning of the face in the image, the picture quality per se, easy operation of the diverse functions and/or the appearance of the device on the desk and the recorded image in relation to the surroundings.